SP-FORUMS

Yo maybe y'all can help me out. I need to improve my setup in my home studio. I don't seem to have enough ins/outs to set up all my gear to work together effectively and efficiently.

I sample from various sources/devices. My SP303 only has 1 tulip IN. I'm not planning to use the jack in on the front. But I want to run a bunch of sources through the 303. I'm lookin for a mixer that has a bunch of stereo channels and a couple of outs as a bridge. I have a Vestax 05Pro mixer that's already hooked up to serato and my PC soundcard (focusrite Saffire) for sampling.

Now I need a mixer on the side that forms a bridge between my PC (saffire), my SP and all other sampling sources (djmixer/sonyPSP/etc.) which is the final station for all my projects and the rest of my sources/devices from which I sample.

I did some googlin all I get is either huge mixers with too many channels (too expensive) or really small mixer's with too many mono channels. I find this odd in a way..

Anyone has an idea what would be a good solution??!

How many ins do you want in a mixer? That's the biggest catch with your question. Are you after another straight forward 2-4 channel DJ mixer or a small studio mixer?

That said, the small Yamaha mixers are great value & excellently made. Solid as a rock, robust dials, clean finish, simple layout. I used to own an MG102c (here) & loved it. Traded it for (one for one!) an MG166c. Kinda (really) want the smaller MG back on my desk, big one's too big & the Soundcraft I'm using in it's place feels cheap compared to the Yamaha.

MG102c has dedicated stereo ins on channels 3/4, 5/6, 7/8 & 9/10. Easy & accurate stereo split on the rest. Has an FX loop (maybe put the SP in there?), 3 outs (0db recording, +4db monitor, +4db stereo out & headphones). If you're an audiophile, the only dedicated mono channels are 1 & 2, only balanced channels are 1 & 2 also.

EDIT: If you're into gear-porn they're the kind of unexpected thing that pops up in a lot of pro set ups, kinda like the SPs...

That yamaha looks good yo. Ima find one for sure. The specs look promising.

Can you elaborate on the fx loop channel?

Would that mean I can send/receive audio signals (with/without fx) from the SP into my DAW?

Kalaba wrote:Can you elaborate on the fx loop channel?

Would that mean I can send/receive audio signals (with/without fx) from the SP into my DAW?

The FX loop is a an out->in series of plugs. Any good mixer with FX loop should have a dedicated dial on each input channel that sends audio through the loop. The loop doesn't have its own effects though, that's for you to add. The Yamaha MG82CX comes with its own inbuilt FX, some of its reverbs are nice.

If you're running an audio interface & DAW with a mixer, send audio into the mixer via any standard input (balanced 3/4", RCA etc) & then send out back out of the mixer via the recording out. This will add no extra volume (so no lost headroom). You can also buy mixers with USB links too, some of the large Yamaha MGs have USB so they can act similar to an audio interface (minus midi) if you don't have one already.

Don't forget to have a chat at your local music shop as well, never know what kind of eye/ear opener they'll have.

One of the biggest things to remember about buying mixers is to compare the features to other mixers in the same price bracket. Fewer features compared to other mixers at the same price usually means better quality. In other words, buy Berhringer & get loads of features that break quickly.